1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and method for providing transcription or translation services in general, and, in particular, to a system and method for the real-time transcription or translation of meetings or conversations using a computing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, there are several methods for the deaf and hearing-impaired to interpret those speaking to them. One method is lip-reading, which can be inaccurate, and requires the lips of a speaker to remain in direct view at all times. Another method is having a live interpreter, who listens to the conversation and translates the spoken words into sign language, and vice-versa. Another method is having a live stenographer, who listens to the conversation and types the spoken words so that they may be viewed in real-time and responded to. Yet another method is a stenographic, or Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), program, which transcribes the spoken words in the same manner as a live transcriber.
There are problems with all of these methods. The problems with lip-reading have been mentioned. The problems with a live interpreter or stenographer are much the same. For one thing, there are a limited number of interpreters or stenographers, so that providing one for each deaf or hearing-impaired person would be impossible. For another thing, the costs of obtaining either an interpreter or a stenographer makes their use for relatively short conversations, i.e. 5 to 30 minutes, unrealistically exorbitant. Besides cost, the use of a stenographer or interpreter may be found awkward for short passing conversations in a corrider or by the water cooler at work.
Although using a computer program, i.e. ASR, is cheaper than an interpreter/stenographer, ASR has its own problems. If the ASR program is speaker-dependent, it requires a certain amount of time to be trained to the intonations of each individual speaker. This would require multiple speaker profiles to be stored in order that the ASR program could deal with any impromptu conversation at work or in a social situation. These profiles would use up more and more storage space. And there would always be the problem of meeting new people, for whom no profile has been created. If the ASR program is speaker-independent, it is considerably more inaccurate.
Because of recent advances in mobile and network computing, interpretive services for the deaf and hearing-impaired are now possible using portable devices in greatly expanded environments.
In short, there is a need for a system and method for providing portable interpretive services for the deaf and hearing-impaired. There is also a need for an interpretive service that is as accurate as a live stenographer or interpreter, but more cost-effective. In addition, there is a need to apply current advances in network and mobile computing to interpretive services for the deaf and hearing-impaired.